Moments
by Mokusgirl
Summary: A little series of pepperony drabbles. Fluff. Enjoy! R&R Please!
1. Shaving

**A/N: So this is the first in a little series of Tony and Pepper drabbles/one-shots that I'll be posting... I accidently fell into a rather intense Iron Man obsession and until it calms down I don't think Sammy and Gibbs will come out to play much... So yeah but I hope you enjoy these at least!**

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**Shaving**

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Pepper heard a string of grunts as she came up the stairs. She followed to sounds to the en suite bathroom in the bedroom where she found Tony attempting to shave with his left hand, his right arm still being in a sling from an Iron Man stunt gone wrong a couple days before. She sighed as she watched him nick his chin again with the razor before walking up to take it from him.

"Hey!" Tony squawked when the razor disappeared from his hand, "I was using that."

"Judging from all the noise you weren't doing very well," Pepper said, setting the razor on the counter so she could clean up the couple nicks that were still oozing slowly.

"I would have gotten it done eventually," Tony countered but made no move to make her stop, "It's hard to shave with your non-dominant hand y'know."

"You could have asked me to help," Pepper chided softly as she wiped the remnants of shaving cream from his face before applying a new layer where it was needed and starting to carefully pick up where he left off.

"You looked busy," Tony insisted, "and besides I'm a big boy, I can shave myself."

"I'm never too busy for you," Pepper said as she finished clearing the last bit of stubble from his cheek, finding as she finished that he had gotten quite far before she found him.

She gently wiped his face before placing a soft kiss on his lips to punctuate her point.

"Promise?" Tony asked smiling against her lips.

"Yes," Pepper said placing another small kiss on his lips before pulling away, "Now come on, let's have some dinner."

She took his good hand in hers and led him down to the kitchen, sitting him at the island in the middle of the room before getting to work making dinner. She definitely felt like she was more of a mother than a girlfriend some days but she had also realized she didn't mind all that much.

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**End**


	2. Sniffles

**A/N: So here's the second one, it turned out a little different than I had planned but I think it works better this way. I hope you like it! **

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**Sniffles**

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Tony stifled a cough as he wandered up from his workshop. He could tell he was sick and normally he would be closing himself in his workshop and working through it until it passed but since the last time he'd gotten sick his routine had changed. He had been a lot sicker that time and in a fever induced haze he had told Pepper a lot more than he usually would have; even though they were dating now. He had told her about when he got sick as a child and how no one was really there to look after him besides his nanny because his parents were always busy with other things and that as he got older he learned how to take care of himself and hide when he wasn't feeling well. When Pepper heard that she insisted that he would never have to go through anything like that again and that she would always be there to take care of him when he was sick or hurt. When he was better she had brought it up again to make sure he knew she was serious, so here he was now going to her for comfort.

He found her exactly where he thought she would be, sitting on the couch typing away on her laptop with her heels off and her feet up on the coffee table. He flopped down beside her and leaned back into the cushions.

"Pep," Tony whined, "I think I'm sick."

Pepper set her laptop on the table before turning to place a hand on Tony's forehead.

"What hurts?" She asked softly.

"My head and my throat," Tony mumbled closing his eyes and leaning into her hand.

"JARVIS does Tony have a fever?" Pepper asked the house's AI.

"Yes although it is low-grade, Sir's temperature is 100.1 degrees," JARVIS responded smoothly, "It seems Sir has a strain of the Rhinovirus, more commonly known as the common cold."

"Thank you JARVIS," Pepper said before turning her attention back to Tony, "Stay here, I'll be back."

Pepper headed for the kitchen and put the kettle on before going up to the bathroom attached to Tony's room to retrieve some ibuprofen from the cabinet over the sink. She made it back to the kitchen just in time for the kettle to click off and made quick work of making some lemon tea with honey before heading back to the living room to sit beside Tony. She set the mug down on the table then shook two tablets into her hand and handed them to Tony.

"Take those they'll help your head, and this will help your throat," Pepper said handing over the tea next.

Once Tony had taken the medicine she had offered and taken a couple sips of tea she settled back to her original position and motioned for him to lie down. As soon as he was comfortable Pepper started gently running her fingers through his hair while she picked up her blackberry with her free hand so she could continue answering emails but still keep up the comforting gesture. She smiled when she heard the soft but congested snores start up in her lap. She knew that a cold was no big deal but after he had told her that heartbreaking detail from his past she never wanted him to go through that again, even if it was something small, because she loved everything about him, even the things that slightly annoyed her and one of her favorite things was the fact that he would always be a child at heart.

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**End**


	3. A Little Patching Up

**A/N: So here's installment 3. I'm gonna apologize now for anything slightly off... I wasn't so sure what he would be wearing under is armour because he has been known to wear a body suit under it but at the same time he also ends up just wearing a sports shirt and his black cargo type pants so I went for that because it seemed like it would be easier. Oh and I took a few liberties with the layout of Stark Tower but it's nothing major so I hope it's fine! Anyway I hope you like this so enjoy!**

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**A Little Patching Up**

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Pepper was waiting with an ice pack and a first aid kit by the window that over looked the balcony of Stark Tower. As soon as Jarvis had told her that Tony was heading back from his latest mission she had assembled everything she would need to patch him up.

As he landed and didn't wobble she relaxed a little but it was short lived as the armour was slowly peeled off him. He had a split lip and a cut over his eye and a pretty decent bruise forming over the knuckles of his right hand.

"I'm fine," Tony insisted as soon as he saw the look on Pepper's face.

"You don't look fine," Pepper said as she crossed the room to meet him half way, the ice pack in hand.

"It's nothing a little TLC can't fix," Tony said placing a quick, soft kiss on her lips.

"Alright well sit down then," Pepper said, frowning at the taste of blood from his split lip.

Tony sat down on the couch, deciding not to test Pepper. Pepper collected the first aid kit before moving to sit beside him. Before starting on the various cuts on his face she gently pressed the ice pack over the purple spreading over his knuckles. She wordlessly motioned for him to hold it there before starting to gently disinfect the cuts on his face. She finished by placing a band-aid over the cut by his eye before placing a kiss over it then leaning back to look him over for other injuries she couldn't see.

"Is that it or is there more?" Pepper finally asked after not being able to tell if he was hurt anywhere else.

"Besides the bruise on my left shoulder, yes, but that isn't that bad," Tony said, trying to down play it so she wouldn't worry.

"Let's see," Pepper said with a sigh, knowing it must be worse than what he was telling her.

Tony thought about brushing it off but decided against it and set the ice pack, he was holding to his knuckles, on the couch before slowly pulling his shirt over his head. He glanced down at his shoulder as is protested a little to his actions and was pleased to see it didn't look as bad as he thought it would though it was still purple and angry. Pepper sighed again before getting up.

"Stay here," She said sternly before heading to retrieve another ice pack and a towel.

When she came back she was happy to see that he had listen to her and the only move he had made was to put the ice pack back on his knuckles. She took her place beside him again and wrapped the ice pack in the towel before pressing it to the purple splotch on his shoulder and holding it there. Tony visibly relaxed as the ice numbed his shoulder and leaned back into the couch cushions, pinning the ice pack between his shoulder and back of the couch. Pepper let go of the ice pack when she was sure it would stay in place and moved to run her fingers through Tony's hair. They sat like that for what seemed like ages before Pepper finally spoke.

"What am I going to do with you?" Pepper asked softly.

"Love me, feed me and never leave me," Tony suggested with a half smile, leaning into her touch.

"I think that can be arranged," Pepper said smiling at the cute expression on his face.

"Can bedtime be arranged too?" Tony asked letting the exhaustion works its way into his voice.

"Yes," Pepper said, leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead, "Come on."

She offered him a hand up and pulled him to his feet when he took it before leading the way to his bedroom.

Once they were both changed and settled in bed Pepper settled into his side and started running her fingers through his hair again. She waited until she was sure he was asleep before letting herself relax enough to sleep as well. Her last thought before she slid into dream land was that she was glad she was here to patch him up after something like this because knowing Tony if it wasn't for her he'd probably just suffer through it by himself.

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**End**


	4. Hungover

**A/N: So Here's number 4... I like the idea of Pepper taking care of Tony and the whole aspect of how things have change since they've been together so here's my little spin... this is set after he kinda gets everything straight and slows down on the drinking... maybe around the 3****rd**** movie... I'm not exactly sure but I hope you like it!**

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**Hungover**

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Pepper was woken up by movement at her side and Tony's groaning. She wasn't at all surprised by this after the party the night before where Tony had managed to drink enough for the both of them.

"Good Morning," Pepper said just above a whisper, knowing his head was probably pounding.

"Pep, make the light go away," Tony whined burying his face in her side.

"JARVIS low lights please," Pepper said softly, "And please close the blinds."

The AI didn't respond but the blinds closed and the lights come on just enough for Pepper to see Tony so she could look him over. He definitely looked like he'd had a rough night and not too long ago she wouldn't have felt sorry for him but back then she wouldn't have been laying beside him and he would have just drunk himself into a stupor to forget everything, the night before was different. She knew that he hadn't meant to drink as much as he had but the party had gotten the better of him. She ran through the usually morning after routine in her head, taking a little longer than usually since she hadn't used it in a while, before slowing sliding away from him so she could get up, much to his protest.

"I'll be back," Pepper whispered before heading for the bathroom to retrieve a glass of water and some aspirin.

When she came back she carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and offered a couple pills and the glass of water without a word. Tony slowly pushed himself up and took the medicine and water when it was offered. He swallowed the pills and worked on getting at least half the glass down before handing it back. Pepper set the glass on the night stand before settling beside him again. Once Tony had settled into her side she started running her fingers through his hair until he slowly drifted to sleep.

Not too long ago Pepper would have never thought she would ever feel sorry for Tony after he woke up hungover but she wasn't so sure should would have believed someone if they told her she'd be laying beside him either, all the same she wouldn't have it any other way.

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**End**


	5. Cramping

**A/N: So here's number 5… A little bit of a turn of tables but I realized that either there isn't many fics like this out there or I can't find them so here it is. This is set a little after New York and they're at the Malibu house… And I'll apologize in advance if the house lay out seems a little odd… I have this odd habit of setting up house layouts in my head that seem to be nothing like what they're supposed to be… but anyway I think that's about it so I hope you enjoy!**

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**Cramping**

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Tony's brow furrowed as he watched Pepper, there was something different about her body language and he wasn't quite sure what but he had his suspicion and he knew that it'd been happening the last couple months around the same time. Tony was rather observant for the most part and when he first hired Pepper he quickly caught on to when he shouldn't push her buttons every month as her hormones raged. She would get a little cranky but nothing more than that usually, it wasn't until after the whole thing with New York and having to deal with all of it that he noticed this change in her. It took a couple months of it happening and one incident of him walking in on her asleep on the bed with a hot water bottle resting on her middle for him to figure out what it was. He didn't like seeing her in pain but he wasn't exactly sure how to approach the whole thing so after some serious thinking he decided it would probably be best if he let her tell him for the most part. He quickly threw out half that plan though when he realized he wouldn't have the patience to wait it out. Instead he decided he would let her tell him but he would help it along just a little. Tony watched pepper a little longer before slowing moving up behind her and gently wrapping his arms around her middle, pulling her close to his chest and leaning over her shoulder to place a kiss on her temple.

"You're stressing too much," Tony whispered softly into Pepper's ear, "You should call it a night and come to bed with me."

"Tony it's only 5pm," Pepper protested, "Don't you think it's a little early for bed?"

"We don't have to sleep," Tony said with a smile, "There is a TV in that room."

"I really should finish these up first," Pepper said motioning to the laptop in front of her, "They're going to double by morning."

"Then let them," Tony said in what he hoped was a convincing manner, "You've been working like crazy! You deserve a break."

Tony could feel Pepper deciding as her muscles tensed then relaxed.

"Can I at least finish this one email?" Pepper asked turning her head to look at him over her shoulder.

"Well I guess just that one," Tony said a hint of playful sass in his tone, "I'll go wait for you upstairs, don't take too long."

"Alright," Pepper said smiling before catching his lips in a soft quick kiss.

Tony kissed her back before flashing her one of his signature crooked smiles and releasing her to head up to his room. He changed into a pair of soft striped pj bottoms and a tank top before settling into bed and turning on the TV while he waited for Pepper to come up.

It took a little longer than he would have liked but finally Pepper quietly wondered into the bedroom and retrieved one of his old MIT shirts before disappearing into the en suite bathroom. When she emerged her suit had disappeared and she was wearing nothing but her panties and his shirt. She crawled into bed beside Tony and settled into his side under the covers. Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her a little closer to his side.

"I was starting to think you got lost," Tony teased playfully.

"Took longer than I thought it would," Pepper mumbled before shifting to get comfortable again.

Tony leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of Pepper's head before he spoke, "Must be pretty important huh?"

"Mhm," Pepper hummed settling into his chest.

Tony left it at that and they slipped into a comfortable silence, only interrupted by the chatter on the TV and the soft hum of the arc reactor.

Pepper kept shifting but the first couple times Tony decided that she was just trying to find a comfortable spot and so he left it alone. But after she shuffled beside him for the 8th time in 20 min he decided he couldn't leave it anymore.

"Honey are you ok?" Tony asked, giving her his full attention.

"No," Pepper huffed after some hesitation and rolled onto her back, "This doesn't usually happen and it's driving me crazy!"

"What doesn't usually happen?" Tony asked, rolling onto his side and placing a hand on her hip.

"These cramps," Pepper half whined deciding there was no point in holding anything back now since she started, "It's just a this stupid achy pain right across my hips that won't go away."

"What do you need me to do?" Tony asked, hoping she would tell him so he could help.

"I don't know," Pepper said with a sigh, "Maybe some ibuprofen and a hot water bottle."

"Coming right up," Tony said softly, placing a soft kiss on her lips before sliding out of bed to retrieve the requested items.

He returned 10 minutes later with a glass of water, the painkillers and a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel. He handed each over in the order Pepper needed them before settling beside her on the bed again.

"Thank you Tony," Pepper said as she settled into his side again, visibly relaxing.

"Anytime Honey," Tony said, glad that she seemed to be feeling better already.

He wrapped an arm around her again and they settled back to watch their forgotten program.

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A couple programs came and went and Tony realized Pepper hadn't eaten dinner; he looked down to ask if she was hungry and was met with soft snores. He smiled and pulled the covers up over them more then turned down the volume on the TV so she wouldn't be woken up. This whole soft caring thing was still new to him but he was finding that he actually liked it.

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As it started to get late Tony turned off the TV and softly asked Jarvis to turn off the lights before settling down and pulling Pepper a little closer. Normally bedtime was a bit of anxietyfest since New York but tonight with Pepper pulled in close to his side Tony was happy to find that he felt completely at peace. He kissed Pepper's forehead before closing his eyes and letting himself drift off.

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**The End**


	6. Panicking

**A/N: So this is set some time after Tony's panic attacks start but I'm sure exactly when... Definitely before the end of the third movie. Just a little fluff and what not... so yeah hope you Enjoy! Oh and sorry if the ending seems a little rushed... I hope it doesn't but I'm not exactly sure.**

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**Panicking**

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Tony didn't know what hit him but one moment he was working on another suit in his workshop and the next he was sitting on the floor trying hard to calm himself down enough to breathe as his head swam and he was thrown into another anxiety attack. He didn't know how long he was there before he heard the click of Pepper's heels on the stairs.

"Tony...TONY?" Pepper half asked in surprise as she rushed to him and knelt in front of him, "Honey what's wrong?"

"P-p-panic..." Tony tried but couldn't finish, "J-Jarvis..."

"I believe Sir is having an anxiety attack Miss Potts," Jarvis explained smoothly.

"Tony," Pepper started softly adding just enough edge to get his attention as she took his face in her hands, "Honey, you need to breathe."

"I...I..." Tony mumbled between short hitched breaths wanting to do what she asked but not being able to.

Pepper reminded herself to stay calm before moving to sit down so she could pull him close to her chest and start to run her fingers through his hair in an attempt to sooth him.

"Just pick something to focus on and calm down," Pepper said softly, relaxing a little as she felt him relax ever so slightly, "That's it."

They stayed like that, on the floor of the workshop, for a lot longer than Pepper thought they would but she didn't dare move them until she was sure Tony was completely calm again.

"Thanks," Tony mumbled, being the first to break the silence they had fallen into.

"Are you alright now?" Pepper asked, hesitantly releasing him from so he could sit up.

"Uh yeah," Tony said sheepishly running a hand through his hair, "Sorry you uh had to see that."

"You don't have to apologize for that," Pepper insisted softly, "I'm here for you. You don't have to go through everything on your own."

"I know," Tony said sighing roughly, "I'm sorry I suck with this sort of thing."

"It's something we both need to get used to," Pepper said, placing a hand on his cheek so he would look up at her, "Old habits die hard."

"No kidding," Tony said with a harsh laugh.

"Come on," Pepper said moving to stand up and offer him a hand, "Let's order in some dinner and watch a movie."

"That sounds great," Tony said, taking the hand she offered and using her and the desk to push himself up.

Pepper kept hold of his hand and led him up to the living room. After some discussion they settled on Chinese and one of the X-Men movies. They started the movie and settled down to watch while they waited for dinner.

As they sat there Tony thought over the other times he'd had panic attacks and decided that this time was by far the best and that he could definitely get used to having Pepper around.

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**The End**


	7. Nightmares & Panicking

**A/N: So I have no clue what planted the plot bunny for this but here it is. I think there will be another about a nightmare but it'll definitely be different. I feel like Pepper has started having a little bit of a routine for nights like this and that this definitely isn't the first one she's been through with him. I think that's about all you need to know though so Enjoy!**

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**Nightmares & Panicking**

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Pepper was pulled from her peaceful sleep by moving and mumbling from beside her. She rolled over and scooted closer to Tony, who was the one doing the moving and mumbling, before gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Tony," Pepper said, giving his shoulder a small shake.

Tony didn't respond but seemed to fall a little deeper into his nightmare.

"Tony," Pepper said a little louder, shaking him a little harder, "Honey wake up."

Tony mumbled something incoherent and rolled away from her a little.

Pepper went to move closer and shake him again when Tony jerked violently before bolting up right.

"PEPPER!" Tony screamed before he was thrown into a panic attack.

Pepper moved quickly to sit in front of him and get his attention.

"Tony," Pepper said loud enough to turn his focus to her, "I'm right here."

"Couldn't... save," Tony mumbled between ragged breaths.

"You saved me," Pepper said, "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

"But ...He...You," Tony stuttered, obviously still confused about what was real and what was the dream.

"Come here," Pepper said softly, making sure he wasn't going to resist before pulling him close so his ear was over her heart, "See me heart's still beating. I'm alive."

Tony wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her closer to make sure she was real then focused on her heart beat again. Pepper started running her fingers through his hair as she noticed him start to relax just a little.

Once Tony's breathing settled into a normal rhythm and he fully calmed down Pepper spoke.

"Do you want to try sleeping again?" Pepper asked softly, knowing what the answer would most likely be.

"No," Tony mumbled half into her chest.

"How about we go get some water then," Pepper suggested gently.

"Mkay," Tony mumbled, pausing before sitting up.

Pepper offered her hand and pulled Tony to his feet before leading the way down to the kitchen. She released his hand as they walked into the kitchen so she could fill a glass with cold water from the dispenser on the fridge before handing it to him. Tony took it and leaned against the island. Pepper grabbed a glass for herself before leaning back on the counter across from him. They stood in silence for a while, slowly sipping at their water before Pepper decided to break the silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Pepper asked softly, knowing her would probably say no but wanting him to have the option anyway.

"Not really," Tony said quietly.

"Alright," Pepper said, dropping the subject.

She knew he would most likely talk later but for now she would settle for him just knowing he could.

They fell silent again until both their glasses her empty and sitting on the counter. Pepper closed the gap between them and gently took his face in her hands before placing a soft kiss on his lips. Tony kissed her back before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, settling his head in the crook of her neck. Pepper wrapped one arm around his back and curled the other up so she could soothingly smooth his hair. She was slightly surprised when a minute later she could feel something warm and wet on her neck and Tony's shoulders started to slowly shake with silent sobs.

"Hey, it's alright," Pepper said softly, tightening her grip on him, "Shh, shh."

"It felt so real," Tony mumbled between sniffles and sobs.

"I know it did," Pepper said in her best soothing voice, "But it wasn't, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Tony seemed to lose his words and nodded into her neck before going quiet except for the occasional sob.

They stayed in the same spot for what seemed like quite a bit longer than it probably was before Tony stopped crying and released his hold on Pepper so he could rub his eyes.

"Sorry," He mumbled after a minute.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It's good to get everything out ," Pepper said, gently reaching up to wipe the tear tracks from his cheeks, "How about we go back to bed and we'll turn on the TV and see if there's anything worth watching on."

"Ok," Tony said, letting her take his hand in hers and lead him back up to their room.

Pepper settled down on the bed when they walked into the room and turned on the TV while Tony disappeared into the bathroom.

"JARVIS can you turn the lamp on Tony's side on please," Pepper asked the AI, "But keep it dim."

"Of course Miss Potts," JARVIS said before doing as she'd asked.

"Thank you," Pepper said softly as she heard Tony finishing up in the bathroom.

When Tony emerged from the bathroom he immediately moved to settle in beside Pepper and rest his head on her stomach. Pepper smiled at him as she pulled the comforter up a little more before starting to run her fingers through his hair again. They laid watching a rerun of CSI but Pepper wasn't surprised when Tony started softly snoring halfway through it. She carefully turned it off before settling down against the pillows a little more.

"Would you like the light off ma'am?" JARVIS asked in a polite quiet tone.

"No thank you JARVIS," Pepper said softly, "I think Tony will do better with it on."

"Alright," JARVIS said in the same tone he used before, "Goodnight ma'am."

"Good night JARVIS," Pepper replied before letting herself slowly drift off, unconsciously still stroking Tony's hair until she fell asleep.

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END


	8. Migraine

**A/N: So for starters I really hope this is accurate... From what I've heard from people I know who have had migraines most of it is but I've never had one myself so I can only go off second hand info. Also I'm hoping the next one that goes up will be a little less whiny child like Tony getting half mothered by Pepper... I'm not quite sure what it will be but I will try to switch it up a little. Anyway I hope you Enjoy!**

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**Migraine**

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Tony sighed as he pinched the bright of his nose. What had started as a small twinge behind his eyes had graduated into a border line migraine. He tried to just work through it but it got to the point where he just couldn't focus and the glare from his computer screen stung his eyes. He admitted defeat and asked JARVIS to hit the lights before slowly dragging himself up to his room. He had JARVIS draw the blinds, plunging the room into complete darkness before crawling into bed and curling into himself.

oOoOoOo

Pepper came home to a completely quiet mansion which was extremely unusual. Even if Tony wasn't in his workshop with his music blaring he was somewhere with a TV on loud enough that it could be heard through the house. Instead of searching the whole house just to find out he wasn't there Pepper decided to turn to JARVIS.

"JARVIS, where is Tony?" Pepper asked the AI.

"In his room Ma'am," JARVIS answered smoothly.

"His room," Pepper repeated in shock, "Why is he in his room?"

"It seems Sir is suffering from a migraine," JARVIS explain.

"Thank you JARVIS," Pepper said as she slipped her shoes off before heading for the stairs.

She stopped briefly to retrieve a cool wet cloth from the bathroom before quietly letting herself into Tony's room. It took her eyes a second to adjust to the dark but once she could see she moved over to kneel beside the bed where Tony seemed to be asleep, a grimace still gracing his face. Pepper felt his forehead before gently positioning the cloth across it. She was surprised when a minute later warm brown eyes slowly opened to meet hers.

"Hey," Pepper said softly, keeping her voice just above a whisper.

"Hey," Tony said, squeezing his eyes shut as his head throbbed.

"Migraine again?" Pepper asked, not wanting to make his head worse but knowing she needed to to make it better.

Tony nodded without opening his eyes.

"Having you taken anything for it?" Pepper asked reaching up to gently stroke his cheek.

Tony shook his head just enough for Pepper to see that's what he was doing.

"Alright," Pepper said before standing up and placing a soft kiss on his cheek then heading for the en suite bathroom.

As she carefully retrieved some pain killers she contemplated tucking him in and hopefully getting some more work done but that thought quickly dissipated when she remember how his child hood was when he got sick so instead she changed into the shirt and boxers she had left on the counter from the morning then headed back out, water and painkillers in tow.

"Here Honey, these will help," Pepper said softly as she knelt down where she'd been before.

Tony sat up enough to take what was offered and drink the whole glass of water when instructed before laying back down. Pepper settled into bed behind him and started gently massaging his scalp, hoping it would help like it had before. She assumed it was when after a couple minutes Tony sighed and settled back against her a little. She was glad when after 5 minutes she heard his breathing even out and he fell asleep. Pepper knew he wasn't sleeping well, even if he wouldn't admit it, and she knew that it was probably the reason for a lot of the issues he'd been having, this migraine included. She stayed where she was, only moving to rewet the cloth of change positions when Tony moved until he woke up 2 hours later.

"Hey," Pepper said keeping her voice low when he looked up at her with sleepy eyes, "How's your head?"

"Down to a dull roar," Tony mumbled around a yawn.

"Good," Pepper said with a smile, "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," Tony said with a shrug.

"Any requests?" Pepper asked as she moved the cloth onto the nightstand.

"Breakfast is sounding really good right about now," Tony said as he pushed himself up.

"I think I can make that happen," Pepper said before sliding off the bed, "Are you coming downstairs or so you want to stay here and rest?"

"I'm coming," Tony said as he slid off the bed.

"Alright," Pepper said, hold a hand out to him.

Tony took it and they headed down to the kitchen. As they walked into the room Tony took a seat at the island while Pepper got to work making scrambled eggs and hash browns. Tony put an elbow on the counter and rested his cheek in his hand as he closed his eyes. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep until Pepper set a plate in front of him and kissed his forehead to wake him up.

"Bedtime's going to be early tonight isn't it?" Pepper said a light air to her voice.

"Maybe," Tony said, trying to brush off the fact that he had just fallen asleep.

Pepper just smiled and settled down into the chair beside his with her own plate. They ate in silence and Pepper watched Tony the whole time out of the corner of her eye as the lack of sleep the night before and the coffeeless afternoon became more and more evident in his body language. When his plate was clean she stacked it with hers and set them in the sink before turning her attention back to Tony.

"It's time for bed," She said firmly but softly hoping to stop him from protesting.

"It's not even that late," Tony whined, "and I'm not tired. Honest!"

As soon as the last word left his mouth a yawn followed. Pepper just raised an eyebrow at him before he sighed in defeat.

"Fine I'm a little tired," Tony said trying to keep the upper hand even though he knew she'd won.

"Well it's time for at least a little sleep then," Pepper said, holding a hand out to him, "Come on."

Tony thought about offering some sassy comment and changing her mind but his head started to throb a little worse so instead he stood up and took her hand. When they got up to the bedroom Tony headed for the bathroom and Pepper straighten out the bed a little before pulling back the covers on Tony's side then sliding in on the other side. When Tony emerged from the bathroom he hesitated before sighing and sliding into bed beside her.

"Can we at least turn on the TV for a bit?" Tony asked shooting Pepper his best puppy look.

"Alright," Pepper said, satisfied that he was in bed at all.

Tony turned on the TV and started flipping through channels before settling on a re run of some crime show Pepper didn't recognise. They didn't get far into the episode before Tony had just gone to rest his eyes for a second and ended up rolling towards Pepper and pulling her close before completely falling asleep. Pepper turned off the TV before letting herself fall asleep as well, welcoming the early night and helping it would be a peaceful night.

oOoOoOo

End


	9. Warming Up

**A/N: So I know this is insanely random but I hope you like it, sorry if towards the end they're slightly ooc. Oh also I've noticed a pattern popping up involving Tony not being able to cook and I feel like that's half true in the sense that he can't cook anything too fancy but I feel like he would be able to make the basics like the kind of thing a normal not rich bachelor would live off of. Anyway I hope you enjoy!**

oOoOoOo

**Warming Up**

oOoOoOo

Pepper rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them up. She had no clue why she was so cold but her fingers felt frozen and whenever she tried to warm them up by tucking them into her sides or something similar she only succeeded in making herself even colder. She was pleasantly surprised though when as she walked into the kitchen to make herself something warm to drink she found Tony standing at the stove in one of his hoodies and a pair of sweats making eggs. She quietly walked up behind him and snaked her arms around his middle as she slid her hands into the pocket on the front of his hoodie.

"Hey," Tony said with a smile as he felt her head on his back and her hands slid across his stomach to rest in the middle.

"Hi," Pepper said softly, smiling as she felt her hands start to warm up as they leached some of the heat from his stomach.

"Holy crap, Pepper your hands are freezing," Tony said as he slid his hand into this pocket to meet hers and wrapped his fingers around both her hands.

"I know," Pepper said with a sigh, "They don't want to warm up and I don't know why."

Tony moved the frying pan he was nursing off the element before releasing Pepper's hands so he could turn around once she moved them from his pocket. Once he was facing her had scooped up both her hands and brought them close to his lips before starting to blow warm air over them. Pepper closed her eyes and smiled as the heat from his breath sank into her hands.

"Better?" Tony asked a couple minutes later, pulling her hands away from his mouth but keeping them cupped in his hands.

"Yes, thank you," Pepper said, smiling at him but making no moves to take her hands back.

"No problem," Tony said, not being able to hold back the smile that broke onto his lips at the sight of her smile, "Oh hey do you want some eggs, I think I've got enough there to share."

"Sure," Pepper said, slightly disappointed when he released her hands.

Tony dished up eggs for each of them and they settled down at the island for a midday meal, something that didn't happen often but that Pepper enjoyed when it did. It was amazingly relaxing to get to take a break from everything and spend time with each other, even if it was only for a little while.

oOoOoOo

End.


	10. Thinking

**A/N: So I don't usually write things with no dialog but this happened so I hope it's not too odd… Just some Pepper musing! I hope you enjoy!**

oOoOoOo

**Thinking**

oOoOoOo

Pepper sighed contently as she settled into Tony's side and rested her head on his chest right beside the arc reactor. When he first came back with it in his chest it made her uneasy and she avoided it, having to constantly remind herself that it was keeping him alive and that it needed to be there. When Obadiah attacked Tony and she watched the light almost flicker out she realized just how important it was and she started to make the connection that light meant life and she didn't know what she'd do if his light went out. When they started dating and she got used to sleeping next to him she started to think of it as her own personal night light, finding comfort in the soft glow it cast on the ceiling. Usually Tony was awake just watching her but tonight after a long day on a mission for Fury he was sound asleep, snoring almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. As much as Pepper loved spending time with him in that short time when they go to bed before they fall asleep there were days where she enjoyed being able to lay beside him and listen to his even breathing without him watching her. As she let her mind wander some more she started tracing the outline of the arc reactor ever so softly with her finger, she wasn't so sure Tony would be ok with it if he was awake but he didn't seem to mind enough to wake up and as far as she knew she was one of the only people he let touch it, which considering what had happened the times people had touched it and that it was the difference between life and death made sense.

Pepper laid there for a lot longer than she planned before deciding it was time to let her brain shut off so she could sleep. She stopped tracing the arc reactor and slid her hand down Tony's chest and over his stomach to rest on his hip before shifting a bit to get comfortable and letting herself fall asleep.

oOoOoOo

End


	11. Relax

**A/N: So I'm going to apologize now if this isn't the best chapter of the set but the plot bunnies showed up and I took the opportunity to write it while I could... and It's 6:55 am and I haven't slept yet so yeah... but I hope you like it regardless!**

oOoOoOo

**Relax**

oOoOoOo

Pepper punched her access code into the console by the door of the work shop and slid through the doorway when it opened. She walked over to where Tony was sitting at his desk and set a cup of coffee and a plate with a sandwich on it beside him before running her fingers through his hair as she leaned over his shoulder to look at the screen in front of him.

"What are you working on?" Pepper asked when she didn't recognise anything on the screen, which wasn't all that out of ordinary.

"I'm debugging some of the programming for the suit," Tony answered, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"How long have you been working on it?" Pepper asked, almost positive she knew what the answer would be.

"Not too long, only a couple hours," Tony said, obviously lying through his teeth.

"Sir 6 hours is not exactly a couple," JARVIS chimed in.

"J what have I told you about doing that," Tony all but snapped at the AI.

"Shh Tony relax," Pepper said, starting to massage his shoulders hoping to distract him from scolding JARVIS, "I think it's time for you to take a break."

"I'm almost done," Tony said around a sigh as soon as Pepper started on his shoulders.

"It's not going anywhere," Pepper said in what she hoped was a convincing voice before moving to sit on the stool beside him and push the plate closer, "This however will not taste very good if you leave it."

Tony turned to look at her so he could sass her to her face but the look Pepper was giving him stopped him in his tracks so instead he picked up half the sandwich and took a bite. Pepper waited patiently for him to finish both his sandwich and coffee before she spoke again.

"Good," Pepper said as she stood up and stacked his mug on his plate before holding a hand out to him, "Not come on, there's a hot shower with our names on it."

Pepper expected Tony to need persuading but instead he took her hand and let her lead him up to their room, with a quick pit stop in the kitchen first to drop off his dishes. They took their time relaxing under the hot water before drying off and settling into bed for some relaxing time.

oOoOoOo

End


	12. The Many Sleeping Postions of Tony Stark

**A/N: So I hope you like this... I know the layout is a little odd but I didn't want to make it multiple chapters and I couldn't really figure out how else to lay it out. The first two snippits will be before they got together but after that will start with early in their relationship and progress to where my other fics are. Lastly I know this is a little random but I hope you like it all the same! Enjoy!**

oOoOoOo

**The Many Sleeping Positions of Tony Stark**

oOoOoOo

Over the many years of working for Tony Pepper had learned many things about him, some he didn't even know himself, but one that stuck out was how much he could say with the position he was sleeping in.

oOoOoOo

**Stomach**

Pepper let herself into Tony's room to wake him up and frowned at what she saw. Tony was laying on his stomach with his face turned to the door and his cheeks were flushed. She kneeled down by the side of his bed and felt his forehead before sighing. She should have known with the way that he was sleeping but she was hoping he wasn't. He always slept on his stomach like a child when he was sick. Pepper carefully stood up and headed to collect some painkillers and a fever reducer, hoping she'd still be able to get him up and functioning enough to get a couple meetings in today.

oOoOoOo

**Fetal Position**

Pepper sighed as she let herself into Tony's room and got a look at him. She had taken the night off to spend some time with a friend that was in town and as soon as she saw Tony she knew he had done what he usually does when she leaves early. He was curled on his side with his knees pulled right up to his chest and his eyebrows were scrunched together. She didn't even bother checking on him first, knowing immediately that he was hungover. He always curled up when he was hungover and she assumed it was a self soothing sort of thing. She headed straight for the bathroom to retrieve some aspirin and a glass of water then plucked a pair of sunglasses off his dresser before moving to wake him up, it was going to be a long day.

oOoOoOo

**Tossing and Turning**

Pepper woke with a start as the bed moved but it didn't take her long to realize what was happening. She sat up and moved closer to Tony, who was the one moving around so much, and started rubbing his arm and whispering reassuringly to him. She was glad when he ended up calming down and leaning back towards her. Often it was never that easy and usually it ended with Tony waking up violently and then refusing to go back to sleep. She scooted a little closer so she was spooning him and wrapped an arm around his stomach, hoping to help him feel secure before letting herself go back to sleep.

oOoOoOo

**Back**

Tony had come home from a mission with the Avengers and had headed straight to bed while Pepper finished up a few things. When she followed him up half an hour later she found him exactly how she expected to. He was sprawled out on the bed on his back completely sound asleep. Whenever he was tired enough to actually go to bed when he got back he always ended up sleeping on his back, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow before he could adjust his position. She smiled before going to change into her pjs. Once her teeth had been brushed and she had changed Pepper crawled in bed beside Tony and settled into his side before pulling the covers up a little farther. She fell asleep listening to his even breathing.

oOoOoOo

**Side**

It was one of the rare occasions when they both got to head to bed at the same time. They both settled into bed and Tony pulled Pepper close to his chest as he buried his nose in her hair. Both of them always savored moments like this because they tended to be few and far between at times. Pepper settled comfortable against him and started running her fingers over the forearm that was across her chest and was about to say something when she heard Tony start to softly snore. She smiled and shifted slightly to get comfortable before letting herself drift off as well, glad that he was comfortable enough to fall sleep without another thought.

oOoOoOo

**End**


	13. Burning

**A/N: So this is set after the whole Extremis thing is Iron Man 3. I feel like Pepper's nightmares probably weren't as bad as Tony's but I still feel like she would have at least had a couple having to do with Killian and everything that happened. Anyway I've written a lot of Pepper taking care of Tony but I felt like I should even it out a little so this is kinda a start... well sort of because there is a few here already but you can expect more. But I hope you enjoy this one!**

oOoOoOo

**Burning**

oOoOoOo

Tony was startled awake by the bed moving, which was not something that usually happened unless he was the one moving around so much. He rolled over just in time to see Pepper jolt up right and scream.

"Hot... so hot," Pepper mumbled, not fully out of her dream yet.

"Hey Pep, it's ok," Tony said moving to reach out to her but stopping when she jerks away from him.

"Don't touch me," Pepper squealed, "I'll burn you."

"Pepper, listen to me," Tony said firmly, "I sorted that all out, you don't have Extremis anymore."

Pepper seemed to snap out of it a little bit but still seemed rattled. Tony moved slowly and reached out to her again, settling at first for just putting a hand on her shoulder and making small circles into it with his thumb.

"See not hot," Tony said softly, "Everything is all good."

That seemed to settle Pepper down even more and she started to lean closer to him. Tony let her move close enough to him before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest. He started running his hand up and down her back and smiled as he felt her relax more against him.

"Are you alright now?" Tony asked softly, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

Pepper nodded with a yawn.

"Wanna go back to sleep?" Tony asked, wanting her to make the decision and deciding that if she didn't he'd stay up with her until she did.

"Yeah," Pepper said sleepily.

Tony gently pulled her down with him so they were laying on the bed and pulled the blankets up over them. Pepper curled into his chest and Tony tightened his hold on her once she got comfortable. Tony waited until he heard Pepper's breathing even out to let himself drift back to sleep.

oOoOoOo

**End**


	14. Aftermath

**A/N: So I've been watching The Avengers a lot lately... and by a lot I mean I think I've watched it like 30 or so times in the last 2 months... but anyway because I'm a sucker for hurt and comfort fluff and I love the idea of Bruce calling Stark Tower home I came up with this. So yeah I hope you like it! Enjoy!**

oOoOoOo

**Aftermath**

oOoOoOo

The battle of New York had been brutal but it was finally over. Loki had been captured and properly restrained and the Tesseract had been returned. After a brief stop for Shawarma everyone was on their way to finally get cleaned up and get some much needed rest. Tony got a hold of Pepper and had her meet him at Stark Tower. He brought Bruce along, knowing he didn't really feel comfortable at S.H.I.E.L.D. and he had nowhere else to go. When they got to the tower and met up with Pepper Tony let Bruce into his own suite and gave him the rundown of where everything was and where he could be found before they left him to get cleaned up and settled.

As soon as Tony and Pepper were in their alternate suite, their main quarters having been damaged by Loki, Tony completely dropped his tough act.

"Pep, it hurts to move," Tony whined as he lowered himself into a seat at the island in the kitchen.

"That's not surprising," Pepper said as she moved to stand in front of him, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and into bed."

"Are you trying to take advantage of me Ms. Potts?" Tony asked sassily.

"Maybe," Pepper said suggestively, "But you won't know useless you come up stairs with me."

"I'm up," Tony said, groaning when he moved to fast but eventually getting himself up.

Pepper took his hand and led him to the en suite bathroom off the master bedroom. Pepper started up the shower as hot as she thought they both could handle before they both stripped down and climbed in. Tony visibly relaxed as soon as he was under the hot water. Pepper gave him a moment before started to gently rub shampoo through his hair. Once that was rinsed out she started scrubbing the dirt, sweat, and little bits of blood from his body, starting at his shoulders and working her way down. She sent him out to get dried off and dressed while she washed herself up then followed him out. When she walked out of the bathroom she found Tony sitting on the bed wearing an old tshirt and a pair of pj pants. She made quick work of getting herself dressed before joining him on the bed.

"Still sore?" Pepper asked softly, running her fingers through his still damp hair.

"Better than before but yeah," Tony said closing his eyes as her fingers ran over his scalp.

"You should get some sleep before you get called back in," Pepper said, smiling as he seemed to start to fall asleep right there.

Tony just nodded and laid down, wiggling slowly under the covers as he did so, but before he pulled the covers up he rolled and pulled Pepper down with him.

"Tony," Pepper said in surprise.

"Shhh," Tony mumbled, keeping hold of her with one arm while he reached down to pull the comforter over them before settling with his head on her chest.

Pepper just sighed and starting up running her fingers through his hair again, she wasn't planning on lying in bed instead of getting a head start on some press issues to cover Stark Industries but she couldn't say no to Tony so she stayed where he had her pinned.

oOoOoOo

Tony was out for almost half an hour when there was a knock on the door.

"Tony?" Came a hushed question from behind the door.

"Come in," Pepper said, loud enough to be heard through the door but not to wake Tony up.

The door slowly opened and Bruce peaked around it, looking away when he saw them on the bed.

"Uh sorry I uh..." Bruce mumbled forgetting what he was going to ask.

"It's ok," Pepper said reassuringly, "What did you need?"

"Well my bag is still on the helicarrier so I don't have any clean clothes," Bruce started.

"Oh, right I guess Tony forgot about that," Pepper said, keeping her tone light, "I don't know if he has your suite stocked but both of the other rooms on this level have brand new clothes in their chest of draws. I can show you if you like."

"Uh no that's ok," Bruce said a little sheepishly, "I'm sure I can find them on my own."

"Alright well if you have any problems there's an AI that Tony has running this whole building and you can ask him anything you need to know," Pepper said before addressing JARVIS, "JARVIS if there's anything Dr. Banner needs please help him."

"Of Course, Ms. Potts," JARVIS answered smoothly, "Mr. Stark has already granted him security access."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Pepper said to no one in particular.

"Hmm?" Bruce said, her words sinking in.

"Oh I just mean that Tony doesn't bring just anyone home now that he isn't sleeping with various groupies," Pepper explained, "So he must really like you, which makes it not surprising that he also gave you security access, my guess is he's trying to get you to stay. He has a hard time finding people who understand what he's talking about."

"Oh," Bruce said, not sure how to take that but deciding it was time to take his leave so he could think it over, "Uh well thanks... I think I should get some sleep before they call us back in though."

"You're welcome," Pepper said with a warm smile, "Of course. Tony already had that idea, you might as well follow suit."

Bruce returned her smile before making is exit. He wandered down to the next bedroom over to raid the dresser. Once he had found a tshirt and a pair of pj pants he headed back to his suite and took a quick shower before getting dressed and getting ready to catch a few hours of sleep. He was surprised when he walked back into the bedroom to find the blinds already drawn and the lights turned down to just barely glowing. He briefly wondered how Tony knew that he liked sleeping with that little bit of light but decided he was too tired to think it over much more. He crawled into bed and settled on his side before letting exhaustion overcome him and slipping into a solid sleep.

oOoOoOo

Pepper didn't realize she had lost herself in thought and stopped smoothing Tony's hair until she heard him mumble something and felt him nuzzled closer into his chest. She moved to running her hand up and down his back in a soothing manner which seemed to help. She was starting to feel the exhaustion from her day of traveling and worrying set in but there was something keeping her from fall asleep and after thinking over everything for a second she realized it was her usual mothering instinct that tended to come out with Tony wondering if Bruce had gotten settled. She contemplated just convincing herself she didn't need to know but decided that probably wouldn't work so instead she turned to JARVIS.

"JARVIS, how is Dr. Banner doing?" She asked softly.

"He's currently asleep Ms. Potts," JARVIS said smoothly.

"Thank you JARVIS," Pepper said, before shifting a bit to get comfortable, "Please make sure you wake all of us up if anyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. calls."

"Of course Ms. Potts," JARVIS answered, turning down the lights as he went silent.

Pepper let herself drift off if only for a few hours until she would have to drag Tony out of bed and force him to go in when he was called back for final debriefing.

oOoOoOo

**End**


End file.
